Undertaker&#39;s crape-holder.



PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908.

J. E. GHURGHMAN & J. P. OGHARD.

UNDERTAKERS GRAPE' HOLDER.

APPLIoATIoN FILED DB0. s. 190e.

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PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908.

J. E. GHURGHMAN a J. F. .0GHARD.

UNDERTAKERS GRAPE. HOLDER.v

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 6. 1906.

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PATENTE) JAN. 21; 1.908. zr. E. GHURCHMAN E J. F. OGHARD.

UNDERTAKERS GRAPE HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED DBo.e.19o6.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEo JAMES E. GHURGHMAN, OF ORANGE, AND JOHN F. OCHARD, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

UNDERTAKERS GRAPE-HOLDER.

Patented Jan. 21, 1908.

Application filed December 6. 1906. Serial No. 346.526.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES E. CHURCH- MAN and JOHN F. OCHAED, citizens of the United States, residing at Orange and East Orange, respectively, in the county of EsseX and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Undertakers Grape-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of this invention are to provide means by which either the long streamers of crape displayed at a door by the undertaker in case of a death, or the long depending iioral piece, or even a wreath if the same should be used, can be conveniently and readily supported and attached to the door-frame or side of the house or vestibule; to provide a holder which has suitable and eflicient means for attachment to the house without marring the same, and which has upon itself means for supporting or holding the crape or other emblem; to enable the said holder to be adjusted to different styles or sizes of crapes or wreaths to provide upon the crape-holder means for displaying appropriate information or announcements, such as the time of the funeral, etc; to thus avoid the necessity of many calls at'the house to obtain such information, and to avoid uncertainty and mistake on the part of a person going to the house for another purpose, where more than one family live in the house; to secure a simple construction which shall present a neat and pleasing appearance, and to obtain such other advantages and results as may bebrought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several drawings, Figure 1 shows our improved device employed to hold a wreath such as is sometimes displayed at the door instead of crape in case of a death Fig. 2 illustrates our holder em loyed in connection with the more usua long streamers and ribbons of crape; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device without any crape thereon, and Fig. 4 is a similar view with the front plate or portion removed, and showing in dotted lines different positions of the adjustable crape-'holding arm; Fig. 5 is an edge view of the crapeholder in elevation; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view on line Fig. 3; Fig. 7- is a sectional view on line y, Fig. 4, with the crapeholding arm removed and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow; Fig. 8 is another cross-section taken on line z, Fig. 4, with the crape holding arm removed and looking downward as shown by the arrow; Fig. 9 is plan view of a crape-holder complete, the construction being modied to the extent of making the front plate or portion hinged to the back plate.

In said drawings, and larly to Sheet 3, 1 indicates the back plate of our improved device comprising a piece of sheet metal having a narrowed upper end 2 bent slightly forward, as at 3, and slotted as at 4. Below said slot and in vertical alinement therewith, the back plate carries at its of sheet metal having its ends thrust through slits in the back plate and doubled over, as at 6 in Fig. 8. A crape-holding arm.7 which we have for convenience shown in the shape of a cross, although it might be of any other desired form, has its stem or upright portion 8 thrust through the said slit 4 and slideway 5, said crape-holding arm being also of sheet metal and lying flat against the back plate. The frictional engagement of said crapeholding arm with the back plate is sufficient to hold it wherever desired, and the same can be adjusted to different positions by sliding it up or down. Upon the arms 9 and top 10 of the crape-holding arm are upturned lugs or projections 11 for catching the crape or wreath and thus holding the same.

Upon the lower part of the back plate 1 is a detachable front plate or portion 12 which comprises a piece of sheet metal bent at its side edges backward at right angles and thus adapted to lie at a distance from the said back plate 1 and form a space therewith, as at 29, which is open at its'top and bottom. The purpose of this plate, arranged as it is below the crape-holding arm 7, is to gather together and confine between itself and the back-plate 1, the folds of the crape as it is draped downwardly from the crape-holding arm, and for this purpose the said front plate is made detachable, at least at one end, so that after the crape has been hung on the holder and properly supported, the front plate can be closed against it to referring particufront a slide-way or clasp 5 comprising a loop A however, the front plate may be hinged to the back plate, as shown in Fig. 9, where 112 indicates such a front plate hinged as at 16, and adapted to swing forwardly open to one side, the opposite edge 17 of the front plate being adapted to catch under aresilient lip 18 of the back plate. All the otherl parts shown in Fig. 9 are as elsewhere described in this specification, and are marked with the same reference numerals plus 100. Thefront' plate of our crape-holder is aper- .tured as at 19, and back of this aperture is arranged a piece of sheet metal 20 to form a receiver for a card 21 and piece of protecting glass 22. Said card is removable from the top of the receiver 20, as is common, and a new card is thus adapted to be inserted for every occasion upon which the crape holder is employed. The card contains such information as is usually sought by friends and neighbors, such as the name of the deceased, when he died, the time of the funeral, etc. This obviates the necessity for a great many calls at the house and provides the information for a great many people who would not obtain it at all. Furthermore,`in case of several families living in one house, visitors are informed as to which iioor the death is upon, and whether or not it is the one where they may have business. Furthermore, the undertakers name and address may be appropriately displayed upon the front plate, as at 23, 24.

For attaching the holder to a house, a sharp slender brad 25 is provided on the back plate 1, and referably a second one 26 upon the back of t e upper part of the crape holding arm. These can be readily forced into 'the wood to support the device, and leave no appreciable marker defacement when again withdrawn.

In employing our device with a wreath 27 as shown in Fig. 1, the holding arm 7 is 'pushed as far down as possible and then the wreath hung upon it, so that the wreath encircles the body-portion of the holder and its display card 21. When long streamers of crape are employed, as in Fig. 2 however,

bacl -plate provided with attaching means, a

crape-holding arm adjustably mounted on said back-plate and also having attaching means, and a front plate mounted on the backsplate at a distance from said arm.

2. In undertakers crape-holder, a back plate provided with attaching means, a crape-holding arm mounted on said backplate, and afront plate mounted on said back plate at a distance therefrom and adapted to hold the crape thereagainst.

3. In an undertakers crape holder, a baclvplate provided with attaching means; crape-supporting means on said back plate, and a front plate movably mounted upon the baclcplate to hold the crape therewith.

4. In an undertakers crape-holder, a back plate provided with attaching means, crapesupporting means on said back-plate, and a front plate bent backwardly at its side edges and connected to said back plate at the margins of said edges, whereby a space to inclose the crape is provided between the said front and back plates.

5. In an undertakers crape holder,l a baclcplate provided with attaching means, crape supporting means on said back plate, and a card-holding plate bent backward at its side edges and connected to said vbackplate at the margins of said edges, whereby a space is provided between the said plates to receive the crape.

6. In an undertakers crape-holder, the combination of a back-plate havin a narrow upper end bent forward and slitte and hav ing a lower slideway, a cross-shaped crapeholding arm having its upright arranged in said slitiand slideway and its arms provided with hooks, attaching means, and a front plate mov ably mounted upon the back plate.

7. In an undertakers crape holder, a back-plate provided with attaching means, crape-supporting means on said back-plate, and a card-holding plate having its edges bent backwardly and one hinged to the bacl plate while the othery detachably connects therewith, said card-holding plate thus lying forward of the back plate and forming therewith a space to inclose the crape.

8. An undertakers crape-holder, comprising a body plate provided with attaching and a card-holding plate connected at its means at the back, and crape securing means edges to said plate and at a distance there- 10 hinged at one end to said body portion and from to receive the crape between.

adapted to be -detachably secured thereto at i JAMES E. CHURCHMAN.

5 the other end. JOHN F. OCI-IARD.

9. In an undertakers crape-holder, a In the presence ofback-plate provided With attaching means, ETHEL B. REED,

crape supporting means on said back-plate, FREDERICK GERMANN, Jr. 

